Lackland assists with Hurricane Rita evacuation

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LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) --  People here once again are busily preparing to receive evacuees from another hurricane along the Gulf Coast -- the second in three weeks.

Hurricane Rita, classified as a Category 4 and the third worst hurricane in recorded history, is heading for the Texas Gulf Coast and could bring more than 3,000 military people here.

“Military members and families stationed along the Gulf Coast are evacuating here,” said Col. Mary Kay Hertog, 37th Training Wing commander. “And these people will need our assistance and care.”

As of Sept. 22, more than 700 military evacuees from around the Gulf Coast have arrived here. Ten shelters, including community centers and dormitories, are set up as temporary housing.

“Lackland has a reception center to process military evacuees and their families,” Colonel Hertog said. “We are postured to provide housing, food, medical assistance and even shelter small pets that arrive here.”

These preparations and precautions are not new to Airmen stationed here. Since Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, Lackland has been the reception point for thousands of evacuees.

The base received 89 flights in 55 hours supporting Katrina, carrying more than 9,800 people during the Labor Day holiday weekend. Those displaced from New Orleans were provided shelter in San Antonio.